JOURNEY OUTSIDE THE CAMP

Did Adam and Eve really exist?

 

 

Did Adam and Eve really exist? Thanks to the ebook sale at Crossway, I managed to get several of their titles for just US$5.99 each. One of books was Did Adam and Eve really exist? by C. John Collins. Collins, by the way, was one of the contributors to the ESV Study Bible.

God provided this book in a timely manner as I was engaged in an email exchange with a fellow brother in Christ about whether Adam and Eve were real or merely symbolic. I have never had an issue with Adam and Eve being true, historical people who once lived and breathed and walked the earth but many people struggle with the historicity of the first couple because they find that the Genesis account doesn't seem to fit with the scientific knowledge we have. Thus in order to make the Bible fit neatly into science, they have reinterpreted the Adam and Eve as symbolic, almost mythological people.

Is there a problem with this approach? In a word, yes. I truly believe that taking Adam and Eve as allegory makes hash out of the Bible. At stake are truths like the following examples:

By This Name class: Good turnout at the first session

God did a jaw-dropping work in drawing 75 people to the first session of the By This Name 2012 class. Our team was astonished by the number of people who signed up. We realised that we needed a bigger space, especially since we needed to have tables for all the participants. The social hall of our church was the only space large enough to accomodate everyone so with some effort, the space was set up.

It was really exciting to start the session. There were different types of participants. Some were believers who wanted a better understanding the gospel; others were hearing it for the first time. Still others were getting trained so they could teach it back at their own churches; and the fourth group were men and women who volunteered to be trained so they could continue these classes once we moved to Canada.

They were waiting for Me

"This was one of the most meaningful Christmas Eve services I've had in years!"

That was a comment from a friend after the Christmas pageant at our church. A choir member, who had sung a solo part for the pageant said to me, "I was deeply moved by the story." He had not seen the Christmas story from the context of the Old Testament and he was in awe of our God for his meticulous planning and his faithfulness in keeping promises. Another friend quipped that the pageant had covered seven years' worth of Bible Study Fellowship lessons in one hour! A number of people said the pageant gave them a wonderful overview of the birth of Christ, that it set the events of Christmas in the context of Bible history.

It is good to be grieved by various trials

1 Peter 1:3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

 

A dear friend gave me these verses this morning. I wouldn’t say we are going through severe trials but we are working through some stumbling blocks as we strive to be obedient to God. Reading this passage from 1 Peter reminds me that even if we are on the right path, and even when we are being obedient to God, we cannot assume that the way will be smooth. Just the opposite: Though now, for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials. The way God makes us inherit the character of Christ is to give us trials. How else can we learn patience unless we have to wait for something important? How else can we learn to love the unlovely unless God inserts such a person in our lives? How else can we learn to depend on God’s provision unless he takes away our resources? It’s all very scary. But if we want to shed our sinful selves and be refined in the fire until we exhibit the character of Christ, we cannot escape trials. It’s how we face trials that is important.

By This Name Class (January 2012)

Would you like to have a clear and thorough understanding of the Bible’s main message? Have you ever struggled to fit together the different books of the Bible to get an overall picture of salvation?

Or would you like to know how to share the gospel message one-on-one or to a small group? Then the By This Name class is for you.